Tumbling toys, to include a hollow elongated body and an enclosed rolling mass, are well known. When placed on a play surface, these toys exhibit the ability to tumble downwardly, end-over-end in response to sufficient incline and gravity. The mechanism of tumbling is governed by the body's rounded ends and the ability for a mass, such as a metal ball, to freely shift from one end of the body to the other.
U.S. Pat. No. 622,354 issued to James A. Harvey on Apr. 4, 1899 describes a Puzzle consisting essentially of a box, two or more stalls, and a corresponding number of capsules, each containing a globular weight free to roll within the capsules. The puzzle is to manipulate the box in order to place the capsules in the various stalls. The small capsules are provided with paper legs or projections to render the movements of the capsule more lively and erratic and to prevent the capsules from rolling sideways.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,254,428 issued to Hubert A. Myers on Jan. 22, 1918 describes a Tumbling Toy having two flat, parallel sides each having an oval shape. A ball is enclosed within a central square tube which runs the length of the device. When placed on an inclined surface, the toy tumbles or rolls end-over-end of its own accord, as the ball is heavy enough to tilt the toy upright.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,272,588 issued to Thomas CCB White on Jul. 16, 1918 discloses a Tumbling Toy comprising a hollow elongated body with a square cross-section and oval sides. The ends of the body are rounded on its outer faces, with a spherical weight disposed within the body. When the toy is placed on an inclined plane, it will tumble downward, end-over-end produced by the effect of gravity on the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,494,963 issued to Elbert L. Smith on May 20, 1924 describes a Container Toy which operates on the same general principle described above. The sides are flat and the ends are rounded. In addition, the toy includes oppositely disposed “feet,” which affect the tumbling action. An openable flap is described by Smith, whereby a person may remove an article of candy or the like from within the hollow center, and replace it with a ball or marble with sufficient weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,614,471 issued to Andrew T. Hayashi on Jan. 18, 1927 describes a Japanese Peanut Ping Pong Game wherein a peanut shaped hollow container with a spherical mass therein, is released to travel randomly down a slope and trip a scoring switch or light at the end of its path. The peanut is generally realistically shaped having a substantially axisymmetric shape. Dimples on the outer surface are intended to replicate a peanut and provide random motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,519,273 issued to Jette Viby on Jul. 7, 1970 describes a Combined Tumbling Toy with Ribs and Ball wherein the axisymmetric housing or shell has a generally elliptical shape when viewed from the side and a circular shape when viewed from the end. Viby describes a shell having a mass less than that of the internal ball with internal ribs that stiffen the outer housing while providing a guide for the ball to roll back and forth within the shell.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,213,266 issued to Joseph F. Hyland et al. on Jul. 22, 1980 describes a Tumbling Toy having rounded ends and barrel shaped longitudinal portion. The Tumbling Toy is axisymmetric about the longitudinal axis with a circular cross-section. A weighted ball is free to travel within the hollow housing between the rounded ends. The Tumbling Toy is designed and weighted to tumble on an incline and to balance upright on a level surface. A narrow arcuate track with side walls to prevent the Tumbling Toy from rolling laterally is also disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,238,904 issued to Dorothy M. Lang on Dec. 16, 1980 describes a Toy Displaying Erratic Tumbling Movement, comprising a triangular shaped housing with a ball enclosed therein. The edges of the triangular housing are rounded to enable the device to turn from one side to the other as it moves down a slope. The apices of the triangle are open, but the openings are not sufficiently large to allow the mass contained therein to be removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,702 issued to Frances C. Silvious describes a Telescoping Tumbling Toy, comprising a housing and an enclosed mass, such as, a ball or cylinder. Two telescoping sections are connected to form the housing. The telescoping arrangement provides a means to explore different moments of inertia based on a selected length of the housing. The transverse cross-section disclosed is generally rectangular, with a height greater than the width. The telescoping members are separable to allow the enclosed mass to be exchanged with one of greater mass of lesser mass.
British Patent Publication No. 197,110 to Harry S. Kamiya and published on May 10, 1923 describes an Apparatus for Use in Playing a Game of Skill, wherein an elongated tumbling device has a hollow body with oval sides, further characterized by rectangular shape when viewed from an end. The object is to allow for the tumbling action and cause the tumbling device to drop into a hole in an inclined surface.